No Room for Compromise: Religious Polarization in the United States

March 1, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Room 356

Hear a presentation from Ryan Burge based on his newest book, which examines how religious identity has become increasingly intertwined with political polarization in the United States, exploring the growing divide between religious and nonreligious Americans and the declining middle ground in both religious practice and political affiliation. Drawing on extensive survey research, the talk analyzes how this religious-political sorting is making it harder to live in a functioning democracy.

More about Ryan Burge:

Ryan Burge is professor of practice at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. Before that he was an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, and was also the graduate coordinator. He has authored over thirty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters alongside six books about religion and politics in the United States. He has written for the New York Times, POLITICO, and the Wall Street Journal. He has also appeared in an NBC Documentary, on the CBS Evening News, as well as 60 Minutes which called him, “one of the country’s leading data analysts on religion and politics.” He served as a pastor in the American Baptist Church for over twenty years, leading First Baptist Church of Mount Vernon, IL for 17.5 years until its closure in July 2024. He has been married to his wife Jacqueline for over eighteen years. They have two sons.